1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lightweight portable concealment and shelter systems and methods.
2. Description of Prior Art
There is often a need to conceal oneself when researching wildlife, hunting, camping, working on construction projects, or working in the outdoors. Wildlife researchers conceal themselves so that they can film and study wildlife without disturbing the behavior of the animals. Hunters often conceal themselves in various hunting blinds to avoid being detected by their prey. Campers often conceal themselves to bathe, change clothes, and perform other personal or hygiene activities. Construction workers, military, law enforcement, and others who work in the outdoors also have similar needs for concealment. Various methods have been employed to accomplish these tasks.
In the past, quite complex, heavy structures have been built or constructed for concealment. Hunters have built permanent hunting blinds. Portable huts, shower stalls, dressing shelters, tents, canopies, and complex tree blind structures have been carried into the great outdoors.
The parent application provided a list of patents relating to this field of invention. The discussion of these prior art references is included by reference.
The use of such devices has several disadvantages such as being heavy, bulky, noisy, expensive, and complicated to assemble or use. Most of these devices have only a single use with poor performance. There is a need for a simple, lightweight, compact, portable, multi-use means of concealment.
To avoid being detected by their scent, hunters and other wildlife observers climb trees using tree steps and then remain for hours in a tree stand watching and waiting for animals to pass by. However, a person in a tree stand makes a silhouette against the sky or background and is exposed to a 360 degree view. Animals can easily detect the human silhouette or movement. Further, if the person or equipment makes a noise the animal will know where to look. There is a need for a device that eliminates the silhouette.
Complicated equipment or procedures create a situation where a person may drop equipment or, even worse, fall from the tree stand. Most of the existing devices block the view or mobility of the person.
Metal objects screwed into trees are sometimes forgotten and become over grown by the tree. Later when the lumber is harvested and cut, the saw strikes the metal object and can cause severe damage. Some states have banned the use of metal tree screws or spikes. Any device used for attaching to trees in the forest needs an embodiment that attaches to the outside of the tree and can be easily removed.
The following ground blinds are known in the art:                Hunter's Specialties' “Lightweight Portable Ground Blind”        Avery' “Avery Quick Carry Ground Blind”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,234, entitled “Portable Blind”        Double Bull “Matrix”However, these ground blinds are limited in that they are designed for a single use or application.        
There are a number of very old patents relating to curtain support brackets. These are associated with hanging curtains inside a building on a wall and fail to anticipate many novel features of the present invention.
It is also desirable to have a blind that can provide shelter from the elements. Light weight portable tents with nylon shells, rain flies, and external fiberglass poles are well known, but there have not been major innovations in basic structure and configuration of such tents in the last two decades. Each tent comes with a predetermined number of parts and is limited to a single configuration.
What is needed is a modular system of components that could be used to construct a wide variety of outdoor blinds and shelters. With such a modular system, the same components could be used to create tree blinds, ground blinds, waterfowl blinds, blinds attached to vessels and vehicles, and various shelters.